Gauge for the threads of pipe couplings



Dee. 14 1926.

c. PQWETMORE' GAGE FOR THE THREADS OF. PIPE COUPLINGS vFiled June 5.,@25

INVENTQR.

" ff/mis RWM/maf PICMSD A TTORNEYS.

Tfrv( P41/m DeL,

i atented Dec. 14.-, 1926.

entre stares reni" Fics.

CHARLES r. Wnfrnrone', Yioncnnsnn, LATE or raimvnnnna, wisconsin; BYAUGUSTA 1v1. wnrnonn, nxnonrnx, or MILWAUKEE, wisconsin, Assrefnon To A.o. seinen cenronnrron, or MILWAUKEE, wrseonsrn, n oonronn'rion or NEWYORK.

GAUGE ron' frire 'renners or :erre cfmrnrnres.Y

Applieatonrled ,lune 5, 1925. Serial No. 35,232.

Y ln the manufacture of pipe couplings of ing thrust camin the form et acone, which .large diameter, and particularly those acts to push theeelers outwardly to etl'ect 55 which are used for connect-ing the endsot their thread testingr engagement with the lengths ot pipe which areemployed in tormcoupling'. rlfhe conical cam is mounted on .ing thelining for deep wells, it is essential a-screw-shalft threaded into thespider, so that the threading ot such couplings measthat in the forwardrotation` of theshatt, ure exactly to the required standards of ac. thecone is advanced to accomplish its 60 curacy. Failure to apply properinitial purpose. Confined springs serve to withV I tests to thethreading is sometimes prodi'lcdraw the teelers and hold their innerends` 1i? tive later of situations which prove to be in Contact with.,thev cone, when the shaft troublesome and dificult et correction. thelatter is reversely rotated. t

l ln applying such initial tests to determine' rlhe spider is providedAon its front tace G5 the accuracy of the work, it has heretofore `with aZero niark, and the rotating shaft been the practice atterthreading toscrew with av dia-l having)l on its face a like zero 'L5 the taperingthreaded end ot the pipe coupmark, the dial having also indications orgraling ontoa tapered threaded plug of the redations extending`oppositely from such zero quired diameter, testingboth ends oit themark. When properly positioned with the 70 coupling in the same manner..Again, it thread feelers in engagement with the has been the practice,while the coupling,` is threadsot the coupling, therelation to each 20still checked inthe lathe, to screw the'plug" other ol'. the marks onthe two wscales will therein, malring'a like test ofthe otherendindicate at once the plus or minus errors, oi the coupling, when thelatter was reit any, in the threading ol" the coupling, 75 versed in thelathe. Both ot these methods so that the extent of the correction to ben 'were performed with difficulty, by reason nade can be determined, andcorrect-ion 25 oi the weighty of the coupling in the first made withoutdisturbing the position oli the case, and Ythe weight ot the plug` inthe coupling in the lathe chuck.

second, Moreover, great physical labor was The details o'l1Aconstructionk in which the 90 involved in eachinstance inturning thepart invention has been embodied will now be so as to run the threads upto the required particularly described, and the novelty redepth inmaking the test, and then in unsiding therein will be pointed out in thescrewing to effect disconnection. Vll" the;` appended claim.

tests indicated that the coupling was not ln the accompanying drawing:S5 correctly threaded, a further threading` op Figure ll is a view inelevation ot the imeration became necessary, withv much a.t provedthread testing and gauging device,

35 tendant labor. showing the same as positioned inrelation rEhe presentinvention is embodied in a to a pipe coupling for a testing operation,

comparatively l'ght and portable device for the coupling being shown inbroken lines.. 90 testing the 'threading of the couplinglwhile Fig. 2isa vertical sectional view axially the latter remains clinched in thelathe, so of the device, on the. line 2-2, Fig. 1, lookeO that ilcorrection be indicated as necessary, ing in the direction ot thearrows, and the matter may receive attention at once. showing thearrangement ot the parts rl`he device comprises a spider on each ofthereof. e 95 the several radial arms of which a leeler Fig. 3 is a viewopposite to that ot Fig. provided at its outer end with threads fory1,showing certain ndetails of the construct engaging the threads oit thecoupling is tion and Varrangement oli the parts in coninountcd 'forlongitudinal movement, thaty nection with one ot the threadfeelers. is,movements which are radial to the spider. Fig. l isaitransverse-sectional view on the 10o The threads upon the ends oi theeelers line .4#4, Fig. l, showing further details have the saine pitchas the thread'soat vthe of construction.. Y ,y L coupling, and areAdesigned to eiiect an ac-l In the drawing, the numeral 10 indicatescurate engagement therewith. f .Y apipeecoupling provided with av borewhich At theii` inner ends, .the .thread 'feelers tapers froinits endsto: .a medianlineat 105 are engaged hy an axiallyV movable, rotatwhichexists a constriction ot thebore, and

counter-bored at its ends so as to constitute clearances, one of Whichis indicated at 11, in Fig.

A central frame 12, in the form of a cup, and provided with a pluralityof radial arms 13, forms the skeleton or spider of the device. rl`hesaid arms lie in the plane of the bottom Vof the cup, and may bereinforced hy rihs 1li formed upon their front sides. t their outerends, the arms are shouldered and carry extensions forming fingers 15,to which may he attached weer plates 1G of hardened metal, Which aredesigned to abut the end face of the coupling at the several hearingpoints, and limit the entry of the device when the latter is positionedin the here of the coupling `for a thread testing operation.

The adial arms 13 are provided upon their rear sideswith channels inwhich the feelers 1T are mounted for reciprocation. Straps 18, attachedto the arms 13, bridge the channels separately near the outer' ends ofthe arms, and a disc 19` secured co-axially to the cup 12 at the rearside of the bottom thereof, bridges all of the channels at theirconverginzg` ends, the straps and disc conningei the feelers 17 in thechannels, but permitting their longitudinal movement therein, that is,Vtheir radial reciprocation with respect to the spider.

The bottom of the cup 12 is provided With an inwardly projectine'central hess 20, and ,at its rear side 1s formed a circular recess 21,which latter is covered hy the disc 19. A shaft 22, threaded over anintermediate portion of its length as at 23, Works in a threaded openingin the said loess, and the reduced rear end 2aof the shaft 22 isjournaled for rotation, and to have a slidingmovement as Well, in thedisc 19..

A. conical thrust cam. 25, formedV upon the shaft 22, is disposed in therecess 21, at the rear side of the cup 12, and the tapering surface ofthe said cam is in engagement with the correspondingly beveled innerends 2t of the feelers 17. rEhe said feelers are `.ejrooved for aportion of their length upon the side which ahuts the bottom of thechannel in the arm 13, as at 27, and an expansion spring` 28 is confinedin the said groove, the spring` hearing at one end against the Wall 29at the inner end of the groove, and at the other end against a pin 30,set in the rear side of the cup 12 and projecting into the said groove.rlhe springs 28 act at all times to hold the beveled ends of the feelers1T in contact with the conical thrust cam 25, and so serve toretract thefeelers When the cam is Withdrawn into its inoperative position, by Areverse rotation of the screwshaft'. Y .i A

` The shaft 22 has keyed upon its outer end, a cra'nl;A disc 81,provided With crank handles-32,'two of-such handles being em.-

ployed te render the operation of the de# vice more convenient, andpermit the balancing of the forces exerted in rotating the shaft. in therotation of the shaft, the disc 31 will move into and out of the cup.

The rim of the cup 12 is provided with a flange 33, in Which is formed acircular recess for the reception of a ring 3a, having a ZeroV markthereon. The ring may he adjusted by rotation about its axis and fixedin adjusted position hy means of arcuate slots 34, through which capscrews Se are passed and engaged in threaded openings in the flange 38of the cup. The diameter of the opening` in the ring 3e is designed toregister With that of the cup 12. But the ring With its provisions foradjustment may he omitted, and the zero mark placed on the rim of thecup 12. Y

The crank disc 31 also forms the indicating dial previously referred to,and is provided at its margin With a Zero mark for registeriirg` withthat on the ring 3e, and with gradations extending at each side thereof.

In operation, the thrust cam` 25 is Withdrawn hy reverse rotation of thel screw shaft 22, and the feelers automatically assume their retractedpositionsunder the action of the springs 28, Which maintains the contactof the converging ends of the feelers With the cam. The ,gauging deviceis positioned by entering it into the end of the threaded coupling,still chucked in the lathe, until the several Wear plates 16 on thefingers 15 of the arms 13 contact with the faced end of the coupling.The shaft 22 is then rotated forwardly and in the axial movement of thesaid shaft, due to its screw mounting, the thrust cam 25 impels anoutward movement of the several feelers, until the threaded ends of thelatter are in engagement with the threads of the coupling, and thefurther rotation'of the shaft is arrested. By slightly rotating theWhole de vice at this time, it can he determined Whether the threadedends of the feelers are accurately and properly engaged With the threadsof the coupling, and the slack motion, if any, can then be taken up byfurther rotating the screw shaft the necessary eX- tent. At the timethat such perfected engagement of the threads is effected, `the Zeromarks will register, if the work is correct. If they do not register,the relative positions of the zero marks on the scales will indicate anyplus or minus variations from the correct internal diameter of thethreaded coupling, and thus the extent of the corrections to he made toconform. the work to standard are readily ascertained. Reverse rotationof the shaft 22 Will effect collapse of the feelers 17, so that thegauging;` device may be Withdrawn from the coupling. Tdefy little.effort` is inyolvedin the use of the portable device, and its functionsare achieved with a great saving of time and labor, over the devicesheretofore used for the same purpose.

Having,` thus described the invention, what I claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is:

A device for testing the accuracy of the threads of pipe couplings,comprising a body provided With a plurality of radially extending armshaving lingers to engage the end of the coupling, eelers having threadgauging` outer ends mounted for movement lengthwise of the said arms, arotatable shaft threaded centrally into the said body and having aconical thrust cam ,contacting with the converging inner ends o1 thefeelers and acting to engage the outer ends of the feelers With thethreads ot the coupling, expansion springs conined between the arms andfeelers to maintain the Contact between the `'eelers and the cam as thelatter is Withdrawn, and markers associated with the body and shaft forindicating variations in' thev threads of the coupling.

En testimony whereof, name at Milwaukee, this 3d day ot June, 1925.

AUGUSTA M. VETMORE, Eeeuvtm'w of Charles P. lVet/more, deceased.

I have signed my i

